As we reportedly edge ever closer to a press conference that will officially announce the fight that could have been referred to as the worst kept secret in boxing, this of course the July showdown between WBC welterweight champ Mario Barrios and living legend Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya was asked an interesting question regarding a question.
Fight Hub TV caught up with De La Hoya once again, and the former multi-weight champ who faced a rampaging Pac-Man right at the end of his own career was asked to reveal the one single question he would ask Manny as the 46 year old moves ever closer to his ring return.
“Why are you really doing this, Manny?”
Now, De La Hoya is one of a few experts who is not entirely writing Pacquiao off against Barrios, but Oscar knows all too well how tough it can be coming back when Father Time plays a big part in the outcome of the fight. And Oscar would demand absolute honesty from Pacquiao with his question – “why?”
“I would ask a simple question, and please, Manny, tell me the truth. Why?” De La Hoya said. “That’s it. That’s it. Why? Why are you coming back? And the warrior that Manny is, he’s gonna be like, ‘because I love to fight and I wanna fight the best.’ And Manny would say he has been watching boring fights and he wants to come back and give a show against Barrios, who is a world champion. That’s a true legend for you.”
Love of the game or love of the purse?
It is to be hoped De La Hoya is correct with his own interpretation of what Pacquiao’s answer to his “why?” question would be. If Manny is coming back purely because of his love of fighting, because of the fact that he wants to give the fans a show, then great. But is this the real truth? Is Manny instead coming back for the money? If so, and it’s no secret that Pacquiao has gone through a fortune in his life, this due to his sheer generosity and due to his draining political campaign, it’s really a sad thing. No great fighter of advanced years should ever find themselves in a position where they have to come back to fight because they are in dire need of a buck, but we have seen it happen far too many times over the decades.
De La Hoya has put the best spin possible on Pacquiao’s comeback, and who knows, maybe Manny IS coming back because he misses the thrill of combat. But most people do feel Pac-Man is coming back for the cash he currently needs quite badly.
Let’s see what questions Pacquiao is actually asked by members of the media when the presser takes place.
